Melodies
by MikroSouvlaki03
Summary: On which Malik's life changes completely upon meeting a certain someone with a huge love for music. -Alt/Mal-
1. Chapter 1

**There's nothing much to say about this story, I just hope you enjoy it! I don't own Assassin's Creed.**

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_Chapter 1, Friendship._

"Hey! Hey, Mal!" Ezio Auditore called, his voice filled with hope this bright, springful morning from where he stood, right beside the door of his classroom during a school break. His eyes scanned the area to find his friend at the far end of the class, sitting peacefully at his desk, reading God knows what. Malik had heard him, but chose to ignore him. He frowned, however, when his name was continuously called by his 'friend' and, unfortunately, classmate, Ezio. He had to force himself to look up from his book-which he so much intended to read until Ezio appeared-with an annoyed look.

"What?" he growled under his breath as Ezio hastily made his way through a few full or empty desks. He received curious glances or stares from other classmates that chose to stay in class during school breaks as he stopped beside Malik with a pleading in his eyes.

"Malik, I need your help!" he says, placing a hand on Malik's shoulder, a few dark strands of his slightly long hair falling over he eyes.

"You always need my help, Ezio." Malik quipped, yet Ezio acted oblivious to this as he continued his depserate babble.

"No, really! Remember the paperwork we were handed the other day in History?" Ezio asked, a look of hope on his face as he spoke.

"Let me guess, you haven't even touched them?" Malik snorted, "And you want me to help you with that?"

"You're such a good friend for understanding!" Ezio grins in relief, giving a light squeeze on his shoulder as he gave Malik a thumbs up and a wink. Malik swore he saw an glint in those golden brown eyes of his that he couldn't quite place. Malik didn't even protest.

"Why are we friends again?" Malik said sarcastically, almost rolling his eyes as he closed his book, knowing he wouldn't get any peace and quiet any longer. At least not when Ezio's around. Ezio's reaction was expected.

"Awh, come on, Mal! You know you love me!" he says, heavy accent rolling off his lips as he laughed and patted Malik on his back.

It had been like this since the very first day they started hanging out as kids, and really, Malik couldn't recall how and why they were still friends, considering their differences. Malik never complained about it though. Ezio's a good guy, he may be a little troublesome and a huge flirt when it comes to the beautiful ladies, but he's still a good guy. A good friend, if it can be any simpler than that. He didn't want their friendship to end, even though sometimes that wish was doubtful.

"Are you busy after school today, _amico mio_?" Ezio asked suddenly, his eyes focused on an attractive redheaded girl that chatted excitedly with a couple of her friends on the other side of the classroom. He winked at her flirtatiously when she stole a glance, her face nearly matching the colour of her hair when she noticed.

Malik payed no mind to the Italian's antics as he stared down at the cover of the book he was reading just minutes ago. "No, not that I know of. Why?" he asked, a curious look in his eyes as his gaze turned from his book to Ezio.

"Come to my house with me after school," Ezio said as he finally broke eye contact with the girl, focusing his gaze on Malik instead. "I wanna get the work done before tomorrow, at least."

"Do I have a choice on that?" Malik raised a brow and stared up at the other through his glasses, almost forgeting that he was even wearing them until he had to adjust them lightly with his fingers.

"Someone once told me," Ezio said with a grin, raising a finger as he spoke, "'One should always have the freedom to choose'," and Malik just chuckled.

"Alright, but you owe me, Ezio." Malik nodded and playfully poked the other's ribs, receiving a startled gasp.

"Hey-!" annoyed, Ezio went to say something else, but the loud ring of the school bells that echoed throughout the whole building interrupted him, jerking his head to the side as if he caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eyes. Malik laughed as he watched Ezio rushing towards his own seat, accidentally bumping into the same red headed girl from before on his way. A teacher, tall and rather young for his job, entered the classroom and everything went silent as the lesson started.

* * *

Hours came and went until the end of the school day. As promised, both Malik and Ezio made their way towards the Auditore manor on foot. Usually, they would've went by car since there's always someone to pick Ezio up after school, but strangely, everyone was busy today. There was no complaining coming from either of them, though, and Malik actually liked walking, so all was good. Though, when Ezio was the only company present, it was _tiring_ to even _walk_ with the guy. He would often talk about all the people he flirted with that day, and they were quite a few since he hadn't stopped talking yet, Malik had to force himself to give occasional nods or hums, giving Ezio the impression that he was actually listening. Not that Malik ever cared about his affairs and daily visits to so many girls' houses, whose names Malik could never remember, despite Ezio mentioning them more than a thousand times. It was always like this, mind you, and Malik just dealt with the talkative Italian.

They crossed the street and walked a little more before Ezio spotted a lovely young lady just a few meters away from them, walking back and forth elegantly near a bus stop, her dark blue eyes unfocused as she looked around casually.

"Oh, she's beautiful.." Ezio muttered with a smile, the woman's beauty interrupting his one-sided conversation with Malik as his gaze settled on her figure. Malik had to blink to finally know what was going on.

"No, Ezio, don't you dare-" Malik tried to say, but he couldn't stop the other from advancing towards the lady with a charming smile. Malik stood his ground in surprise, not daring to follow his friend (and embarrass himself) as he watched in silence how the conversation between the two didn't even last a minute. He couldn't help but smile when the lady hummed and rolled her eyes, deciding to catch a bus somewhere else as she walked away from Ezio, though she didn't look annoyed.

"_Aspetta_! I wasn't ready. I was planning on being really charming. And funny! Can I just have a second chance?" Ezio pleaded, pulling his best puppy dog eyes as his brought his hands together infront of his, almost begging. The lady smiled, but she still walked away. Malik laughed at the whole scene and finally remembered one of the reasons on why he wanted this friendship to never end.

Ezio eventually laughed with him, patting Malik's back as they continued their walk towards Ezio's house, which wasn't a long one. They walked in silence in which Malik was thankful for.

"I hope your uncle isn't home," Malik says after a while, "He's weird." he admitted and Ezio chuckled.

"Nah, he's not there. Don't worry." Ezio sends him a reassuing smile and Malik raises a brow.

"Your whole house is empty?" Malik asks with curiosity. It was rare for the Auditore's house to be empty, there's always gotta be someone running within it's halls and rooms. That house was quite huge, almost mistaken for a mansion. Yes, a _whole damn_ mansion, yet it was nothing more than an oversized house. Ezio glances at Malik with a thoughtful look across his face, as if the question had limited choices of answers and he had to choose wisely between them.

"Ah, well.. Not quite empty," he starts off, looking up at the sky and watching as a few puffy white clouds made their way through the endless blue above the boys' heads. "Despite the maids, there's my cousin, too. He's staying for a while." Ezio finishes with a grin and looks at Malik as the other blinked.

"Cousin, huh?" he says, disinterest clear in his voice as he clutched at the strap of his school bag that hang loosely over his shoulder. He knew Ezio had, in fact, a lot of cousins, though he didn't feel like asking which one was staying for a while. Malik just shrugged that subject off his shoulders as they both continued to walk a few more blocks, until they finally stopped right outside the door of the Auditore's large house.

"I hope you won't get lost in there, like the last time." Ezio joked as he unlocked the front door, opening it as soon as he was done, Malik had to roll his eyes at that.

"Let's just get that damn work over and done with," Malik groaned in irritation, being the one who entered the building first, the Italian just chuckled at his friend before following.

"Whatever you say, Princess."

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**I know, it's a little slow at first, but please bear with me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Gah! I really wanted to update this story as quickly as possible, since I noticed how the first chapter didn't really stand alone. Or is it just me? Also, I am terribly sorry for all the errors on the last chapter, and even more sorry if you spot a few on this one, too. *gives cookies to everyone***

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_Chapter 2, Aquaintances._

As elegant as Ezio's house looked from outside, the inside was even better. Through a stranger's eyes, all would seem so luxurious by the way the Auditores had decorated their house, all three floors (yes, _three_) decorated differently from one another, with different themes and different coloured patterned walls. All the rooms were arranged differently and held different atmospheres. Even Malik found himself captivated when his eyes caught the decoration of each room, despite how many times he's been in that house.

They travelled further into the house, climbing the stairs to the next floor to get to Ezio's room, Malik couldn't help but let his eyes linger over antique furniture or extremely detailed paintings on the walls, easily getting lost by the deep, emotional colours. No wonder he got lost inside the house the last time he was there.

Homework was mostly done in silence in Ezio's large, messy room, save for a few times where Malik helped him, as promised, with his work. There were other occasions where one would ask the other about the time, or even when Malik received a text from his brother, Kadar, and both Malik and Ezio somehow after that, ended up conversing about how french fries tasted weird when dipped in vanilla flavoured ice cream. Though, mostly after that, perfect silence surrouned the two.

A little over an hour later, Malik, who was sitting at Ezio's desk leaning over a few notebooks and papers, yawned, stretching his arms above his head to wake his muscles up, almost as if he'd been sleeping himself.

"Toilet break," he mumbled, Ezio didn't even bother to look up from where he lay on his queen size bed on his stomach, a book clutched in his hands and a pen hanging loosely between his lips. He just nodded.

"Down the hall, to your right," Ezio instructed on impulse, almost like he's given those directions all of his life as he flipped through his book.

Malik narrowed his eyes at the Italian before retorting sarcastically, "I know, idiot."

"Just making sure you wont get lost again," Ezio grinnned over his book, not looking up from his work when Malik left his room, closing the door behind him.

Malik sighed, whispering curses as he stood outside Ezio's room, suddenly questioning why he was even there in the first place when there were so many other things he could do. Looking around, he spotted one of the maids who was half way down the stairs. She looked back at him, smiling brightly and waving a hand at him and Malik nodded at her with a smile before she retreated back to her work, dusting off a few pictures that were lined up on a wall that stood parallel to the stairs.

Malik walked hastily down the hallway and into the bathroom to his right, when he came back out he had somewhat of a satisfied smile as he journeyed back to Ezio's room slowly.

Walking through the hall of the Auditore manor (It was more like a mansion, but manor was the best word to describe it), Malik took note on how even the hallways were greatly decorated. Tall and wide as the ivory marbled floors made one's shoes echo throughout the whole corridor, the sound could probably be heard in all the other rooms on that floor. The cream-coloured patterned walls were combined beautifully with the floor, entertaining anyone who walked across the hallways as well as opening out the space, making it seem larger than it actually was. A small antique table stood proudly against the wall where an expensive vase atop it held only the most colourful flowers with such aroma that filled the atpmosphere pleasantly.

Malik could easily get lost in there, though he made sure he was watching where he was going, not that he could get lost in a hallway anyway. His gaze wandered about the great paintings that hung neatly along the walls, taking great interest in the colours that were spewed across the canvases, great amounts of thought behind each stroke of the brush that created them. As he picked up the pace, planning on not making Ezio wait any longer for whatever help he was needing at this point, his ears were suddenly filled by the faint sound of music, a few strokes of a guitar, accompanied with a deep voice. Malik blinked and raised an eyebrow, listening as he followed the sound of the classic guitar as he noticed a door half open, just a few feet away in the hall. How had he not notice that open door before? Taking a step back, Malik made his way in front of the door, sneakily poking his head inside with curiosity as he scanned the area to see who was playing the guitar.

The room wasn't as flamboyently old-fashioned as the halls outside. It was more of a modern bedroom, a little smaller than Ezio's, though big enough to fit a queen sized bed, a bookshelf that could barely hold more books then it already contained, a dark wooden desk against the wall at the side of the room, and other smaller furniture, all of which looked rather expensive. Though, what immediately caught Malik's eye was the figure that sat neatly on a white, wooden stool beside the bed, crouching over a few music sheets that were spread across the bed's silked covers, and a classic guitar sitting on the man's lap, his back facing him.

Malik watched in curiosity as he saw how the man growled under his breath as he wrote musical notes on a certain piece of music sheet with a small unsharpened pencil before grabbing on his guitar and playing just as hesitantly as when Malik first heard him from outside the hallway. Though when the man started to sing, his voice didn't sound hesitant at all, instead it was deep and real with full of meaning as the words that slipped out from his lips came out with careful tones that sounded just about right. Malik smiled, listening as the other sang, like he wasn't giving a care for the world and his guitar agreed with him with hesitant melodies. Though after a while, the man suddenly stopped, letting out a frustrated groan as if what he was playing sounded completely off. He grabbed on his pencil and-from where Malik was standing-he saw how he angrily erased a few notes from the sheets, proceeding to rewrite them differently.

Malik didn't knew what possessed him at that very moment to move as his hand shot up to push the door open wide so he could step in and speak, halting the man from erasing and writing.

"Don't change it!" Malik said before he realises what he's even doing. Startled, the man turns around and wide striking, golden eyes fell upon Malik's gaze. Malik just froze on his spot.

"What?" the other almost growled in reply, a look of confusion and irritation mixed together all painted on his face. Malik wasn't sure if he froze for the reason that he actually invaded someone's room for something stupid, or for the fact that he actually knew the man's face. _All too well,_ too.

Altair Ibn La'Ahad, Ezio's cousin. Though Malik never knew that his cousins were even into music, especially this one right here. Given the information about Altair, anyone would know better than to approach him for a fight, for his aggressive nature was not one to be bested, lest you want to come out completely unscathed. In school, no one really dared to be within ten feet of him, save for a couple of his friends and Ezio himself, though that never really seemed to bother the guitarist. Either way, whatever Malik knew about this guy, it was to be far away from him, but they were all just simple rumours, right? He now randomly remembered when Ezio told him about a cousin staying for a while.

"The.. The song," Malik tries to explain as he gulped, "Don't change it, it sounded right." He didn't knew what he felt for talking to this guy, but he knew it wasn't fear. It was something entirely different as he stared deep into his amber eyes. Altair looked annoyed as he had an expression of one that had a terrible day and wasn't gonna tolerate _shit_ from anyone.

"And what do _you_ know about music!" the guitarist snapped, though from the way he says it, it was as if he didn't really wanted to sound like that.

Malik's eyes grew wide, feeling offended as his cheeks went red in sudden anger.

"Excuse me? I was trying to help!"

"Fuck off," Altair growled, and Malik's jaw dropped. The fury he felt for this guy at this very moment was even worse than the fires of Hell as he glared at Altair. He balled his hands into tight fists at his side as he was ready to throw the most worse insults at him with a raised voice.

"You insufferable,_ insufferable_ novice!" Malik starts as he took a few daring steps closer and could feel Altair's glaring eyes on him, but the guitarist did not speak as he clutched tightly on his guitar he had on his lap.

"How dare you even-"

"Hey, Malik! Are you in there?" Ezio's voice echoed in both men's ears and they both turned to look at the door when Ezio obliviously enters the scene with that huge, shit eating grin of his.

"Ah! There you are, I thought you got lost again." Ezio says cheerfully, nearing Malik and placing a hand on his shoulder. Malik shrugged his hand off, but Ezio didn't seem to notice, instead he eyed his cousin.

"Altair!" Ezio grins, "I see you've made friends with Malik."

"Fuck you, Ezio." Altair growls, grabbing on the unsharpened pencil from the bed and throwing it at his cousin, succeeding on hitting his right shoulder before turning away from the two, once again staring down at his music sheets. Ezio lifted his hands up in defense, shrugging.

"Alright! Alright." Ezio says, chuckling and swiftly grabbing on Malik's wrist, who was busy glaring daggers at the guitarist. Malik raised an eyebrow at Ezio but didn't protest when the Italian dragged the both of them outside the room and closed the door behind them.

"What's with that damn stick up his ass?" Malik hissed angrily, freeing his wrist from Ezio's grip with a light jerk.

"Nah, leave him be, he's probably not in the mood again," Ezio responds while they slowly walked back to Ezio's room. And before Malik could say anything, Ezio continues.

"Malik, don't go back in there." he warns and Malik was surprised by the low tone of his voice.

"Why?" he asked, confused.

Ezio said nothing as they entered his room, planning to return to their homework once again without incident this time. They continued working in silence until they finished what they could.

* * *

"I'm hooome," Malik says tiredly, shrugging his school bag off his shoulders and letting it fall on the floor with a light thud, closing the door behind him. He was finally home after being at Ezio's since classes ended, they'd been working for hours and now he just wanted to rest. Silently, he dragged himself to the adjoining living room next to the small hallway, flopping down on a couch with a heavy sigh as he settled into the cushions.

"Welcome home. How's Ezio?" a low and deep voice was heard, coming from the kitchen's entrance. Malik didn't even bother to look at his father when he spoke.

"He's fine," Malik mumbles, bringing his hands up to his face and letting out another sigh before his head shot up once more, looking at his father curiously.

"Wait, how'd you know I was with him?" Malik asked and the man just chuckled.

"Kadar told me," Malik nodded, but didn't say anything else. Trust Kadar to tell his father where he was, once again.

"Did anything interesting happen today? Or was it just Ezio being flirty the whole day?" his father joked and couldn't help but smile, Malik grinned, shaking his head.

"I met someone," Malik responds and his grin softens to a smile, but he didn't have the heart to finish his sentence. His father just raised an eyebrow and neared his son, sitting beside him on the couch as he smiled.

"And..?"

Malik leaned back against the couch and huffed, bringing his hands back on his face and groaning in response, his voice muffled against his palms. "He was a total _ass_!"

His father laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Sorry for the delay! Also, first two chapters are now edited thanks to a really close friend of mine. Thanks, Angel, for helping me edit the chapters c: *loves***

**Enjoy!**

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_Chapter 3, Kiss and Make up._

Three days had passed since Malik's visit to Ezio's house and today, being quite bright and sunny, after the school bells finally rang, announcing to all students and teachers that lunch break was finally here. Ezio exited the classroom with a huge grin on his face, satisfied to know that he had gotten good grades on his work. Malik just smiled at this, seeing as the Italian was happier than he could ever be just for some papers that may not have been graded as an A, but did get enough to feel proud and grin like an idiot about it. Malik did well too, like he always does so there was no reason for him to jump in joy. Walking through a few groups of people, Malik and Ezio casually made there way into the cafeteria of the school.

"Who's the man!" Ezio said excitedly, punching the air with his fist like he meant it. Malik laughed, snapping his fingers before pointing at his friend.

"You the man!" and they both laughed as they reached the cafeteria.

Lunch break was always good. No. The _food_ was always good. In fact, there was never a day that Malik hadn't enjoyed the food in the cafeteria of his school. He does not know _what_ they put in each and every junk food (or healthy food, as unpopular as they are) they serve, but whatever it is, it was pretty awesome. As the duo found an empty table for six at the very left side of the room, Malik noticed how he hadn't really got the appetite to eat today. The reason was simple, he just wasn't hungry. Ezio had other plans, though, as his tray was full of everything with a dash of spice.

"The Hell? Are you seriously gonna eat all that?" Malik asked when he finally noticed Ezio's full tray as they sat across each other on the rectangle table. Ezio grinned.

"_Si_, my body craves for it," Ezio replied, almost not noticing when Malik reached over to grab his carton of orange juice, though he did very little to protest.

"Hey, that's mine!" Ezio pouted, as if his tray was now completely empty when Malik stole the orange juice.

"Is that how you thank the man who helped you get 'awesome' grades?" Malik smirked, poking the carton open with the straw, quickly taking a sip.

Ezio laughed, "About that, thank you _amico mio_." he said in honesty and Malik shook his head.

"Whatever man, eat your food." Malik replied before Ezio decided to do just that, devouring whatever food he had on his tray that Malik still cannot identify. Malik sighed, setting the carton of juice down on the table as he went to fish something out from his school bag which was on the neighboring chair beside him.

He pulled his phone out, staring at the dark screen for a moment before unlocking it and he was surprised to see an unread message popping up. The message was from his brother, which surprised him even more. Though he smiled and shook his head as the text was all about some pretty girl he just met. Malik didn't knew why he even bothered replying to that, but it's not like it harmed anyone.

"Who is it?" Ezio asked, with almost a full mouth, as he watched the other texting back and forth for some time now.

"Kadar," Malik replied simply, "I think he just found that 'special someone'." Malik grinned over his phone before glancing up at his friend, who was busy laughing and nearly choking on his food.

"It's hard to believe that the brat found someone to love," Ezio joked and grinned, though he received a frown from Malik.

"Hey! My brother deserves a good love life!"

Ezio shook his head, still grinning and stuffing more food into his mouth before responding, "True. But what about you?"

"What?" Malik frowned once again.

"C'mon! I never see you around ladies, you don't even _try_."

Malik scowled, glaring at the Italian, though his glare was unnoticed by Ezio as he payed more attention to the mountain of food on his tray, which seemed to get smaller with each passing minute. Malik said nothing, looking back down at the screen of his cellphone, the amount of texts being received slowing to a halt.

Ezio was right, though. Malik was never the type to easily find someone to love, unlike Ezio. Yes, he had relationships with a few girls here and there in the past, but they all ended up pretty bad so Malik stopped trying. Okay, maybe not stopping _entirely_. It was more like waiting. Waiting for a chance maybe, or that _someone_ that could change his life, but it seems to him that, that will either come much too late in the future or not at all.

Within a few passing seconds, their conversation was over and the subject was easily dismissed.

Once again, Malik found himself sighing as he placed his cellphone down on the table to grab his carton of juice to drink, resting his chin on the palm of his hand as he stared down at his phone that automatically locked itself, sitting there silently. He finally noticed the chatty backround of the cafeteria that had unpleasantly filled his ears and Malik silently begged for a distraction that would keep him from complaining about the noise.

"Why was your cousin staying at your place the other day?" Malik suddenly asked after a little while, trying to start up a new conversation. That, and he was curious.

Ezio looked up from his tray, his eyebrows raised.

"What's with the sudden question?"

"Mere curiosity."

Ezio swallowed whatever food he was chewing before clearing his throat, as if thinking about whether or not to answer Malik's question.

"Well, he was in a bad mood," he replied, almost as is it was the best answer he could come up with.

"Clearly," Malik said with narrowed eyes, "But why?"

"Let me sum it up for you, Mal," Ezio started explaining, bringing his hands up in a dramatic gesture, "Whenever Altair's in a very bad mood, he comes over and stays at my house for a day or two." He finished up with a clueless smile. Malik stared at him for a moment, not sure if it was the answer he expected or that he really was just wasting his time asking, since clearly, the answer wasn't satisfying his curiosity.

"But _why_?" Malik repeated and Ezio sighed.

It took a moment for him to respond, and when Ezio finally looked like he was going to say something, Malik leaned on the table just a little as if he didn't want to miss out on what Ezio was going to say. Though nothing came out of Ezio's lips as, suddenly, a few giggles and girly chuckles were heard and both boys swore they heard Ezio's name being murmured in the background. The duo turned their attention to the four girls sitting just a few tables away, all of their eyes glued on the Italian's figure. All of them gesturing at him with their hands and charming smiles, distracting Ezio from whatever it is he wanted to say, so much so, it was long forgotten as he focused his gaze in the group of girls with a flirty smirk.

Malik looked away and rolled his eyes, annoyed that he lost the chance to get anything out of the Italian. Not that Ezio would ever say anything now, especially since the girls' distraction was quite effective on him. Ezio sent at wink at the girls and they all squealed before the man turned his attention back at his friend with a huge grin and a knowing look in his eyes. Malik frowned, knowing just where this was going.

"Excuse me," Ezio said politely as he stood up, picking up his half empty tray. "They are calling for me." How _typical_. Malik refused to facepalm in front of his friend.

"Are you seriously going to leave me all alone here?"

"Wanna join us then?"

"What? _No_!" Malik replied almost immediately, and Ezio laughs.

"I'll be back before you know it, Mal. No worries!" and with that, he walked directly to the girls' table and took a seat between them, not wasting any time on flirting with all of them and within a snap of your fingers, he's got all of their phone numbers and even adresses.

Malik sat there, silent and annoyed, the feeling of being left alone wasn't pleasant at all and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He glared at his friend, who was now a few tables away from him, Ezio payed no heed as he chatted happily with the girls. Malik knew Ezio wasn't coming back, infact. It wasn't a lie, it was just Ezio being Ezio, and Ezio was always forgetful when it came to the ladies, and Malik knew that all too well. That wish for their friendship to never end was once again doubtful. For a small moment, Malik thought of sitting up and walking towards the Italian to punch him straight on the face, but that sounded too out of character for him.

So he just sat there and glared at anyone who dared to so much but glance at him as he drank whatever juice was left in the carton, because that was _totally_ in character for him. Minutes passed by easily and Malik had the feeling that he'd spend the rest of the lunch break alone. He was wrong.

"Is this seat taken?" someone suddenly asked, Malik had to look up from where he was glaring, though when he did, he wished he hadn't. Malik scowled at those smiling amber eyes that were set upon him and he quickly snapped.

"Yes, go away." he said in a harsh tone but it did nothing to scare Altair. The guitarist just smiled.

"Great, thanks." he mumbled as he ignored Malik's reply, quickly sitting in the seat right across Malik, where Ezio was previously sat. Is this guy for _real_? He set his own tray on the table and shifted on his seat as Malik noticed that Altair had at least a more reasonable meal on his tray, unlike Ezio's. Just a sandwich, a bottle of water and a few napkins. Though that wasn't the point as Malik glared at the other, not liking the idea of him invading his personal space all of a sudden.

"What do you want, novice?" Malik asked with that same harsh tone that didn't seem to bother Altair.

"Is that how you speak to your aquaintances?" Altair smiled and it was really hard to believe, because Altair almost _never_ smiled, save for the times where people saw the man grinning. When Altair grinned, it wasn't a grin anyone would want to see a second time for it creeped the Hell out of people. Malik frowned.

"Aquaintances? Hardly." Malik scoffed, looking away from the other, not bearing to see the idiot smile as he stared down at his phone instead.

He felt the other shift on his seat again as he saw from the corner of his eyes how Altair took a bite of his sandwich and, for the second time, Malik glared at him expectantly, wanting to know what the other wanted to get this over with.

"Hey, look- Malik, right?" Altair started off, taking a long sip from the bottle of water before continuing, "I just wanted to apologize for back then." he pauses, noticing how Malik raised a brow at him, listening, "I admit, I wasn't in the greatest moods and I'm sorry for being a complete ass."

By now Malik's glare was soften into a mere stare, not really expecting these words from Altair. _Especially_ Altair. His eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"Oh, wow. That whole speech of yours took three days for you to form, didn't it?" he asked sarcastically and Altair's smile widens.

"I try my best."

Malik didn't say anything, and didn't need to as he snorted at the other's words. His eyes were back down at his cellphone when it suddenly buzzed for attention, another delayed text from Kadar appearing on the screen. Malik payed no mind to Altair, who was busy eating his sandwich, as he texted his brother in silence and for a few minutes, neither of them spoke. When Malik gave up on texting, he placed his cellphone back down on the table as he casually looked around, noticing how most of the people's eyes were at him and at the man across him. He suddenly realizes with _who_ he was sitting with, but strangely, it didn't bother Malik. Well, Altair _did_ annoy him but not so much that he'd feel bothered if he sat at the same table as him. A few more minutes passed and as Malik watched the other eat, he grew suspicious.

"Well?" Malik asked, eyeing Altair.

"Hm?" Altair responded with a mouthful as he glanced at the other curiously.

"Spit it out. I doubt the almighty Altair used his apology speech as an excuse just to get a chance to sit on the same table as me for nothing," Malik explained, feeling a little annoyed, "There's more to it, isn't there?"

Altair swallowed. "Well, yeah-"

"Then out with it! I don't have all day!"

Altair blinked whilst he watched how Malik's temper was quickly set off. Clearing his throat, he placed the last bite of his sandwich down on the plate as his expression held an honest look with a smile. A smile that Malik never knew would suit Altair's face so well.

"Back then," Altair starts off, "You said you liked my song, that it sounded right, yes?"

Malik's stomache turned and suddenly he felt a little guilty. Was this why he came and sat here, other than to apologise?

"..Yeah?"

"Nobody's ever said that to me before," it was almost a mumble, "In fact, all their comments were never positive, always saying that playing a 'stupid' guitar is just a waste of time." Altair chuckled, pushing his tray forward just a little to fold his arms on the table.

"Oh.." Malik says intelligently, the annoyance he felt seconds before now long gone, replaced by something that he couldn't find a proper word to describe. He was suddenly unaware of the people staring at the two from a distance, whispering curiously at the each other, nor did he noticed how even Ezio held his gaze at them for a little while.

"I wanted to thank you.." Altair smiled and Malik told himself, silently, that all the rumours he had ever heard about this guy were all _lies_. They couldn't be true, not when Altair smiles like _this_. Not when Altair was so _honest_ about something so simple. Malik wanted to say something-_anything_, but he found that he couldn't as his mouth opened and closed, his voice stuck in his throat.

Even when he gained his voice back to speak, the school bells rang as loudly as ever, announcing the end of lunch and that lessons were about to begin, halting any words that were about to spill from Malik's lips. Altair's smile faded quickly as he swiftly sat up and went to walk away, but Malik quickly grabbed hold of his hand, standing up from his seat as he did so.

"Wait-!" he tries, but he was immediately interrupted by the other.

"Are you free today after school?" Altair asked with a voice that reminded Malik of the time he first heard him singing. Malik nodded absently, but did not speak.

"Meet me at the port outside the city tonight." was the last thing Altair said before he left, leaving Malik behind with a shocked look on his face, standing beside the table at the far side of the room alone. He stared down at the forgotten tray of a half eaten sandwich, almost forgetting about his next class as he quickly ran to make sure he wasn't late.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, and I thought this story would be ignored. Thanks to everyone who followed, faved and reviewed! This one's a little short, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless.**

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_Chapter 4, Nothing is Impossible._

The day was slowly ending and Malik still couldn't figure out why he was standing in the middle of a port, situated just outside the city. He was staring at the horizon at the far end of the endless ocean before him as a few golden and peach colored sun rays stung his eyes, yet it seemed to not bother him at all. He just stared at the sun set, signifying the end of the day, almost wishing it never ended as the dim light of the setting sun looked wonderful over the seas. The way the rays of the sunset hit the relaxed waves of the sea was almost as if it slowly dived into the endless waters for a refreshing swim after hovering over the busy streets of the city all day.

'_Meet me at the port outside the city tonight_.' was all Malik remembered hearing before he found himself doing just that. That voice, calm and sweet in it's own way, repeating that sentence over and over inside Malik's mind. He still didn't know why he was so eager to be at this port. To see _him_ again.

He was alone, everyone else had gone home as the day was currently ending, the sun setting on the horizon. That didn't bother him, though, since he knew he wasn't going to be alone for too long. He shoved his hands in his jean pockets and finally moved his gaze from the sun, that had long disappeared under the ocean, letting the moon take its place in the sky. He wandered randomly around ther port, occupying his time as he waited for Altair to arrive. He didn't care where his feet were taking him as he watched all boats of all sizes peacefully floating at each pier in the water and Malik quietly wondered what it was like to drive them through the seas. His pacing only ever stopped when he felt the breeze of the weather dance across his skin, the salty scent of the ocean with a mixture of something else Malik couldn't describe overwhelmed him which made him smile.

It took a moment for Malik's legs to move again, though his pace was slower as he stared down at the ground in obvious thought. In his head, he took himself back a few hours, in the cafeteria of his school talking to that novice, or rather arguing, though it seems that it didn't really annoyed him just by thinking about it. Thinking about _him_. Altair wanted to thank him just because he said his song sounded right when he played it on his guitar. He wanted to thank him for something so small, so stupid. Yet..

_Yet.._

"Going somewhere?" a voice suddenly echoed in his ears, disrupting his thoughts as he quickly turned around to meet amused, golden eyes looking at him- right through him. It was as if the man was there the whole time yet he looked like he appeared to be standing there for mere seconds. Malik blinked, all his previous throughts forgotten as he stared at the man before him, his eyes wide in surprise for the other's sudden appearance.

"Altair," he muttered, approaching the other male. The guitarist only smiled and waved a hand at him lazily. "Hey, I'm sorry I'm late. Traffic." he explained with a grin, swinging the guitar in it's case he held in his grip back and forth lightly. He always brings that guitar everywhere he goes, doesn't he? Malik smiled and gave an understandable nod.

"That's alright, I wasn't here for too long."

"Shall we walk then?" Altair suggested with that same voice, calm and sweet in its own way, Malik had to look away before nodding. And then they walked.

"So.. Why the port?" Malik asked as they walked, walking in the opposite direction Malik was going just a few seconds ago alone, before Altair showed up.

Altair shrugged, "No reason, it just seemed like a cool place to hang out," he mumbled, "And quiet, too." Malik nods in agreement. The port sure was quiet at night, and held a great view that almost anyone could appreciate. For a moment it was silent when Malik stepped at Altair's left side as they continued to walk.

They didn't know how long they were walking around the port, but that didn't really matter to them. In between the silences, they would talk, talk about the day that had just gone by or anything that had come to their minds. They traded stories, old ones, new ones and some others that didn't really make any sense, yet they all sounded right as they got to know each other a little more. They walked and talked and laughed as the night went on and their laughter echoed through the chilly night air. The noises they created paired with the light sounds of small waves that splashed against tall, mossy rocks or concrete walls along with other backround sounds like the wind that blew through the leaves of nearby trees, it was almost calming. It all seemed so natural, it felt so right to be in each other's company, as if they've never argued before at all, like they were best friends from the very beginning. It was as though they were mere children once again, and nothing else matters but them.

Minutes turned to hours and they both had already rounded the whole port, which was quite big, at least three times yet they didn't seem to stop walking, they didn't want to either. Malik let out a sigh, slowly feeling the exhaustion in his legs, he ignored it as he looked down at himself, then at Altair. He blinked when he suddenly realized that Altair was _missing_ the ring finger on his left hand, a thing that made his eyes grow wide in shock and Malik couldn't help but gulp, loudly.

"You're missing a finger.." he said, his voice almost cracking. Altair blinked at him at first and raised an eyebrow, as though what Malik said didn't really make any sense, much like the stories they shared a few minutes earlier. Lifting his left hand into view, Altair stared at the missing digit and smiled, though he didn't say anything.

"What happened?" Malik asked, staring at the finger-or, well, whatever was left of it-with curiosity.

"Accident," Altair said simply, shrugging a little. "I was really pissed about it, though." he grinned and Malik snorted.

"Oh? Let me guess, and then you stayed at Ezio's house for a day or two?"

"How'd you know?" Altair asked, blinking in surprise as he looked at Malik.

"Ezio told me about your habits when you're pissed." Malik smiled. Altair laughed and shook his head and Malik eyed him as he raised a brow.

"Well?" he asked and Altair glanced at him questioningly. "Are you going to tell me why do you keep doing that?"

"Do what?"

"Staying at Ezio's place when you're angry."

Altair grinned, "It's complicated." and Malik rolled his eyes. _Of course_ it's complicated. He didn't take the subject any further.

"So, how do you play the guitar with a missing finger?" Malik asked, obviously curious to know. Altair chuckled.

"Skill," he said simply, and for the second time in less than five minutes, Malik had to roll his eyes. But he chuckled with him, eventually.

"How long have you been playing the guitar?"

"You're asking too many questions,"

"Just answer the question, novice."

"Eight years." by now, Malik was impressed and Altair just grinned at him like some proud idiot.

They continued to walk a little more, their conversation growing short with simple nothings as they finally decided to take a break and sit on a bench that faced the seas, it's bright green colour already long faded through the years. They sat side by side as Altair rested his guitar beside him against the bench, and he looked at Malik with a smile that never left his lips this whole time.

"You really do like music, huh?" Malik asked and it took a few moments for Altair to respond.

"It's all I have." he said in a mumble, as though he didn't really wanted to say it. The other said nothing.

"So, what about you and music?" Altair suddenly asked and Malik blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"Can you play an instrument?" he repeated his question, wording it differently as he leaned back against the bench with his arms folded above his chest.

"Guitar," Malik replied, resting his elbows on his knees as he eyed the case that held the instrument beside Altair. "I learned a few chords when I was a kid." he explained, looking at Altair with one of those smiles that came out so naturally, and Altair raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Oh? So, can you play this?" he asked, almost challengingly as he opened the case, taking out his guitar, positioning it on his lap and immediately playing a song right after a clear of his throat. Malik watched. Each and every stroke of a string, all sounding so different from each other and yet all of them blended perfectly into a melody, which caught Malik in surprise. Knowing that Altair was missing a finger, yet could still play as good as an expert _really_ surprised Malik.

"That's impossible!" he laughed and the guitarist just shook his head.

"Nothing is impossible," Altair responded as he stopped playing the guitar and he couldn't help but let his eyes linger on Malik's perfect smile. Malik laughed again.

And he is still laughing when Altair leans closer and kisses him.

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**/flail**


	5. Chapter 5

**Missed me? Welp, I'm back! **

**I'm really sorry for not updating for quite a while. Despite my terrible writer's block over the past few weeks, I really have no other excuse. I'm sorry, once again. But other than that, I really hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**More A/N's below.**

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_Chapter 5, Sweet Dreams._

"I'm hooome," Malik called out tiredly as he dragged himself to the living room next to the small hallway, flopping down on the couch with a heavy sigh. Huh, _Déjà vu_. It wasn't even a long day, yet Malik felt quite exhausted and his legs were killing him. He closed his eyes, rubbing his face with his hands once or twice, the light ticks of an old clock hanging on the wall was the only noise other than Malik's exhausted sighs. He made little effort to open his eyes again and look at the clock, surprised to see that it was almost eleven. He didn't notice the figure that approached him until they spoke.

"Where were you?" asked his father, who appeared out of no where, sounding more worried rather than angry as he sipped at his cup of coffee. Funny, who drinks coffee at eleven at night? Malik sighed for the millionth time.

"Out. With Ezio." he simply replied. He lied. His father just nodded, the look of concern still clear in his eyes.

"Odd. Kadar didn't tell me where you were or with who. In fact, he didn't know anything himself." he mumbled against the cup of hot beverage, slowly approaching the couch and taking a seat beside his son.

Malik smiled faintly, looking at his father with a tired look in his eyes. His father was always worried about the little things like this, but both Kadar and Malik never complained. It was never a bad thing to worry.

"Sorry, dad. I forgot to tell you I'd come home late tonight," he replied, giving his father an apologetic smile, receiving a chuckle in return.

"Did you have fun, at least?" he asked, not bothering to ask where Malik actually was and what he was doing, he felt like he didn't need to. He trusted both his sons.

Here, Malik grinned almost _too_ widely.

"Hell yeah I did."

They both laughed, continuing to talk for a while longer until the clock almost hit eleven thirty. After checking the time, Malik decided to call it a day and finally said goodnight to his father as he quickly sat up, hastily walking toward his room, a few doors down the small hallway of their apartment. As he closed the door behind him, Malik felt like sighing again, but he resisted this time as he flopped down onto his warm bed, staring idly at the ceiling above him like there was something actually there to stare at in amusement. The corners of his lips curled into a tiny smile after a while, he could feel a light blush coloring his cheeks. He definately had no idea why he was _so fucking_ happy right now. Okay, maybe he did know a few things. But he couldn't help himself.

Even though his eyes were still on the ceiling, all Malik could see were the memories he lived just an hour back, at the port with Altair.

They _kissed_.

It was simple yet sweet and might have made Malik a little lightheaded as Altair robbed his ability to breathe, or even think for a moment or two as his last thoughts were to kiss back, which he did. But when they parted, all Malik could do was gasp.

"Did.. Did you just ki-" he remembered whispering breathlessly before Altair's lips were on his once again, stealing another kiss and silencing him for a little while longer.

"Thank you," Altair mumbled against the other's lips, sounding pleased with himself when he pulled away. Malik couldn't help but blush lightly at that, looking away and swallowing silently. Altair's taste lingered on his tongue.

He _thanked_ him. He really did.

That single memory, like an old movie, was stuck on replay in Malik's mind and it did nothing to hide his widening smile, and he did nothing to keep himself from smiling. It was a really odd feeling, actually. He wasn't sure why he was happy about the fact that _they kissed._ They were at each other's throats twenty four hours ago, and now... And now, Malik didn't know anymore.

He lay there on his bed in silence, his smile turned into a toothy grin as he kept staring at the ceiling of his room as though the view entertained him in a way. He felt like he was a part of some really cheesy romantic story, and he was the main character who found their so called Prince, and this chapter was nothing more than just the beginning of his tale.

Okay.. Maybe he's thinking a little _too_ much on this one.

With a heavy sigh, Malik grabbed on a pillow and hugged it closely, his hard stare on the ceiling slowly softening as his eyes betrayed him when they closed. And in less than a few minutes, Malik was sound asleep, his wide grin fading to a faint sleepy smile, completely forgetting to even change his clothes as his mind wandered into Dream Lands. _Hell_, even his shoes were still on.

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**And there you have it! Finally! xD**

**Also, guys.. Guys! You should _really_ check out ****babblepomms'** drabbles! They are just so- PERFECT. Especially the latest update, I cried sweet tears of joy! Thanks, **babblepomms, for being such an awesome person and dedicating that little drabble to me! I love you!**  


**And once again, thanks, Angel, for being a great editor! Love you, like always! *hugs***


	6. Chapter 6

**Gasp! Two updates in a day? Well, would you look at that..**

**Enjoy!**

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_Chapter 6, Suspicion._

The school bell rang and lunch time came around, but oddly enough, Ezio was in no mood to eat. He sat on a table alone (somehow avoiding people's attention and even _girls, _as impossible as that sounds) with his arms folded above his chest and a heavy scowl appearing on his face as he glared down at the table, it was almost as though he was waiting for it to speak to him. No, the Italian wasn't angry, just a little frustrated is all. All he wanted right now were some answers to the milions of questions he had in mind, but never had the chance to get them. He never did like it when his questions went unanswered.

In fact, he _despised_ it, the feeling to be left out on information he didn't know, to be left in the dark.

It's weird but it has been two weeks and a few days now, and Ezio still couldn't figure out why was Altair smiling. Yes, _smiling_. Mr. Too-serious-all-the-time was actually smiling a lot recently and he does things that he usually would never do. Like for example, he would actually take part in a conversation with his friends every now and then, a thing that rarely ever happened in the past, but not anymore apparently. That deadly atmosphere people would feel when they're close to him is now somewhat non existant, which made things even more weird. Altair and Friendly was a rare combination. Usually, his cousin would have been pissed off about every single thing that would happen either to him or around him, often snapping violently at whoever bothered him.

In the end he would spend a night at his house, but strangely, he was in high spirits for two whole weeks for whatever the reason. Not that Ezio didn't like the fact that Altair was happy, but he wanted to know the reason for all of this. A lot has changed over these couple of weeks except of his need for answers, which still remained. It confused Ezio to no end.

But no, it doesn't end there. There was Malik, too. Strangely, his friend dropped the sarcastic tone in his voice, and he noticed how he's been enjoying life maybe a little too much. Malik's been grinning like an idiot for days now, but when Ezio tried to ask him why is he so happy, all he would get was a pat on his shoulder and a toothy grin, followed by the simple sentence of "_Don't worry about it, Ezio!_". Malik would then either continue whatever he was doing, ignore Ezio's questions or just stroll away. There were times where Ezio calls him and asks him to hang out after school, but Malik would often apologise and say that he already had plans but he never said what they were, or who with. Sometimes, he would see both his friend and cousin exchanging glances or even greeting each other in the school corridors like actual friends. Didn't they hate each other two weeks ago? What the _Hell_ was going on!

Ezio growled and cursed under his breath, angrily muttering Italian nothings as he continued to glare down at the silver surface of the table. He wanted to know things. He wanted to know what's happened to Altair. He wanted to know what's happened to Malik. He wanted to know what was going on between the two, he wanted to know why, suddenly, people actually looked like they knew much more than him, which made everything so unfair. _Damnit_, he still had no idea why the burgers of the cafeteria taste so good, he wanted to know about that too. He wanted to know why was he so _damn sexy_, but that question is for another time.

Ezio had, in fact, a lot of things that he wanted to know, so he had all the rights to demand answers.

He knew it. He knew something was being done behind his back, and he wasn't appreciating the fact that no one didn't share any details with him.

Mentally swearing a little more, Ezio let out a sigh of defeat when he finally noticed someone sitting across from him at the table. He looked up with a frown.

"What do you want, Yusuf?" he says, barely resisting a growl. His friend, Yusuf, who was smiling quite obliviously, responded with a chuckle.

''Awh, someone's rather happy today!" Yusuf grinned as he drank some water from a bottle. He didn't have a tray of food, which was weird. He _always_ has one, but it seems that he wasn't hungry today. What's wrong with people and their loss of appetite these days, anyway?

"Go away, I'm not in the mood." Ezio whined, focusing his gaze back on the table, but Yusuf did nothing but chuckle some more.

"Oh? What's wrong? Don't tell me you got slapped by a girl again," he smiled and paused for a moment, half expecting a reply, but Ezio said nothing, "Oh, I get it. You got rejected by a girl you had actual feelings for? Or at least that's what you said about all the other girls in the past."

Ezio shot a glare at him. "No! It's not about some girl, it's about Malik!"

"...Oh.. Your friend?" Yusuf says, looking at his friend in shock, "I never knew you were into-"

"_NO!_"

Yusuf was now confused. "Then what?"

"It's.. It's not like_ that_! It's just the he-" Ezio started to explain, but he got interrupted by another man's voice. Both boys at the table looked up.

"Yo, what's up?" Rauf, yet another oblivious friend, greeted with a wide smile as he appeared out of no where, taking a seat right next to Yusuf. His questioning eyes were on Ezio, obviously wanting to be included in whatever conversation the two of them were having. Yusuf shrugged lightly, lazily pointing at Ezio with the same hand that held the bottle of water.

"Ezio's gay." he replied simply, a smirk on his face. Rauf just raised a brow in surprise, clearly wanting to release a shocked '_Oh_', but that never came. Ezio facepalmed, muttering to himself in anger, Ezio glared at both his friends, specifically at Yusuf. "Cut that out." he growled and the other two laughed.

"Seriously," Ezio rolled his eyes as his friends finally stopped their loud cackling. "Do you guys know what's going on with Altair?"

"I thought you were talking about Malik a few seconds ago?" Yusuf asked.

"No, no. I'm worried about the both of them!" Ezio hissed, his voice low as if he didn't want anyone else to hear their conversation.

"I don't know about Malik, but Altair's been.. Happy." nodded Rauf with slight suspicion, though he said nothing else.

"Exactly." Ezio says, "Something's going on between them, and I'm planning to find out."

"You're taking it too seriously, man." Yusuf smiled and Ezio shook his head. Rauf just stared, not really knowing what to say as he watched how Ezio, truthfully, was overreacting about both Altair's and Malik's behaviour over the past few days.

"So what if he's happy? Shouldn't you be happy about it, too?" Rauf asked rather cautiously, "Besides, Altair's happiness is a good thing. He's less scary and more friendly. I heard that people actually _like_ friendly." Yusuf nodded in agreement, chuckling. Ezio knew, too, he couldn't argue. He wasn't stupid. Things are finaly calm now that Altair was no longer in a bad mood, but he couldn't help but wonder why things were calm, which was quite a ridiculous question, really.

"So what, you guys are seriously not curious at all? Not even feeling like asking him?"

"Oh, _of course_," Yusuf rolled his eyes, "Because Altair _totally_ told us what's wrong with him when we asked."

Ezio tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "You guys asked him too?"

Both Yusuf and Rauf glanced at each other, and as they looked back at Ezio they just shrugged but that didn't really answer to Ezio's question.

"What are you guys talking 'bout?" Altair asked, who appeared out of thin air, a sandwich in hand and a wide smile on his face. All three of them looked up in surprise, though for a second no one had anything to say. Rauf quickly flashed a grin at Altair and pointed at Ezio.

"Ezio's gay."

"...Ooohkay.." Altair blinked awkwardly, suddenly feeling regret for even asking as he took a seat next to his cousin. He didn't seem as convinced as Rauf had wanted him to be. Ezio shook his head and smiled, thankful for Rauf's quick thinking as he looked at his cousin and played along.

"Oh yes, I totally got hots for that Leonardo guy in Art class." he grinned and all of them laughed.

"I knew it." Altair smirked as he eyed his cousin. "So, when's the date?"

Ezio looked at him, shocked. "Altair, we were joking!"

Altair chuckled, "I noticed. But let me see for how long."

They all laughed again.

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"Malik!" Ezio called to his friend in the hallway and Malik turned to look at him with a smile.

"Yo," Malik greeted, "What's up?"

Ezio stepped beside him and they started walking toward their class down the hall. "Hey, I need to talk to you." he said, a serious tone to his voice as Malik raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? About what?" he asked cluelessly. Ezio shook his head.

"I'll tell you on Friday-.. _P__lease_ tell me you're free on Friday?" Ezio asked, giving his friend a look full of hope, almost like huge puppy eyes.

Malik nodded with a chuckle, "Yes, surprisingly so."

"Yesss!"

"Is it _that_ important?" Malik rolled his eyes, though Ezio didn't answer as he placed a hand on the other's shoulder and grinned.

"Just make sure you show up outside my house at seven,_ si_? I'm talkin' about classified information here!"

Malik laughed. "Classified? What, what. Are you trying to gather enough 'classified' information about a certain target that you plan to assassinate or something?"

Ezio didn't answer till they finally reached the class. "_Si_," he finally mumbled, patting lightly his friend's back.

"And sometimes," he continues with a playful smirk, ''The target can be my best friend."

Ezio entered the classroom alone, leaving Malik behind, eyebrows raised.


End file.
